Method of installing a tubular system



June 21, 1938. J. 5. co: El AL 2,121,553

METHOD OF INSTALLING A.TUDULAR SYSTEM Filed June 3, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l June 21, 1938. J. 5. COE ETAL 2,121,558

' METHOD OF INSTALLING A TUBULAR SYSTEM Filed June 3, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 r 19g 7 a M rW miter/rays Patented June 2 1, 1938 METHOD OF INSTALLING A SYSTEM John s. (Joe and WllliamM. Mulholland, Water-'- bury, Conn., assignors to The Chase Companies, Incorporated, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application'June s, 1936, Serial'No. 83,198 l Claim. (o1. 29-157;

This invention relates to improvements in installation of-tubuiar systems, and more particularly, installations of telescopically-connected fittings and tubes forming fiuid-transmitting systems.

One object of this invention is to provide an improved installation of telescopically-connected fittings and tubes forming a fluid-transmitting system which will not come apart even if the temperature of the fittings and tubes rises above the melting-point of solder used for sweating the tubes and fittings together.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved installation of telescopically-connected fittings and tubes forming a fluid-transmitting system which need not depend on solder either for-maintaining the connections fluidtight or for holding the parts together.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved method of installing the foregoing mentioned systems.

With the above and other objects in view, this invention includes "all improvements over the prior art which are disclosed in this application.

In the accompanying drawings in which certain ways of carrying out the invention are shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. 1 is a fragmental side elevation of a tubu=- lar system installed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view, partly in section, of a portion of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. -2 prior to pressing 'or rolling-in the grooves;

Fig. 4 is a'fragmental view of a modified construction; D

Fig. 5 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a tool for rolling-in the grooves to lock the telescopically-interfitting fittings andtubes together; Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line- 6-6 otFig.

5; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on line 1-7 of Fig. 5.

In the description and claim, the various, parts and steps are identified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application as the prior art will permit. r

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive of the drawings, the tubular system or installation iii includes a plurality oi tubes or pipes ll, I2, I3, i4, I5, l6, l1 having telescopically-interfitting connections with fittings l8, I9, 20. The particular fittings I8, I 9, 20 illustrated are respectively a cross, T and elbow, but any other forms of fittings may be employed, such for example as couplings, Y's, etc.

The fittings and tubes may be made of any suitable malleable metal. Copper and copper v alloys are metals particularly suitable for the 5 purpose. The fittings and tubes may be installed 'in any desired arrangement to form systems for various purposes, including refrigeration and sprinkler systems.

According to one method of installation, the 10 tele scopically-interfitting fittings and tubes may first be sweated together with solder in any known manner. Next, depressions, such for ex- .ample as annular grooves 2|, are pressed or rolled into the outer of the telescopically-overlapping parts of the fittings and tubes." The annular grooves 2| are preferablyrolled to a depth sufiicient to produce an annular groove 22 and an inner annular bulge 23 in the inner member, which innermember in the drawings is illustrated as the tube, although it will be appreciated that l the tube could be oi. a size to fit over the outside of the tubular end 24 01' the fitting instead of inside, it so desired, in which case the outermost annular groove would be formed in the tube and the inner groove in the tubular end 01. the fitting. By this rolling of the superposed grooves 2| and 22 in the overlapping parts'oi the fittings and tubes, the fittings-and tubes are securely locked against any possible separation or coming apart, which otherwise could readily occur in case of fire melting the solder oi the sweat-joints, if the tubular installation formed part of a refrigeration or sprinkler system, for example, especially where gaseous fluids were present in the tubular system or in part thereof, since gases in the tubular system would not aid much in maintaining the system at a temperaturebelow the meltingpoint of the solder, during a fire.

Instead of performing the sweating operation 40 first, it may be performed after the groove rolling-in operation has been performed. Or, it the groove rolling-in'operation is. performed with care, gas-tight joints can be made without the use of any solder.

Instead oi depending on a. single rolled-in groove, a plurality oi grooves 2| may be rolled in a pair of telescoped overlapping parts,-shown in Fig. 4.

I For accomplishing the groove rolling-in opera 5Q tions, a grooving or beading-tool such'as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 may be used. This tool 25 has a pair-of supporting-members 26, 21, pivoted tov gether at 28 and soshaped asto provide a central l opening '29 adapted to accommodate a telescoped fitting and tube which is diagrammatically illustrated by the broken line circle 3%. Each of the supporting-members 2%, 2'5 carries a pair of rollers 3i pivoted at 32. Each roller is preferably of toolsteel and preferably has a blunt annular flange or head 33 forming its outer periphery. Each roller also may have suitable marking-means which in the form shown in the drawings, is a v-shape annular marking-flange 3d, the'size of which in the drawings is shown greatly enlarged for clearness, as this markingfiange 36 could have a height of .005" more or less above the cylindrical surface 3? of the roller. Any other suitable form of marking-means could be employed in place of the annular'markingflange if so desired. For example, knurling could be used or separate small projections could be used, and whatever marking-means is employed, could be located on only one of the rollers, if so desired. The center planes of the annular beads 33 of all the rollers will preferably lie in the same plane.

The upper end 3% of the supporting-member El is provided with an open-end slot 3i and with a concave seat 38 in its front face. A bolt 39 has an eye 56 pivoted at ti to the supporting-member 26. The shank d2 of the bolt 39 can swing into and out of the open-end slot 371, and has its outer end d3 threaded into a wing-nut id, which wing-nut serves to press the convex face of the washer 46 against the concave seat 38 of supporting-member 2?. A handle d'i is provided on the free end of supporting-member 25.

Operation: After one or more fittings and tubes have been placed in telescoped interiitting relationship, with or without sweating the parts together, the bolt 3d of the tool 25 is swung up out of the slot 3?, whereupon the supportingmember 21 is swung open about its pivot 23 to permit the interfltting fitting-and-tube construction represented by the broken circle 3% to be placed within the central opening it, whereupon the bolt 39 is again swung into the slot 3'? and the wing-nut M is threaded up to tighten the convex face 45 of the washer as against the concave seat 38 of the supporting-member 21, thus bringing the annular beads 33 of the rollers 3i tightly into engagement with the outer cylindrical surface of theaouter of the parts indicated diagrammatically at ll.

By grasping the handle dl' and giving a backand-iorth rocking action to the tool through an arc of or more, a shallow complete annular groove will be rolled into the outer surface of the outer member indicated at 30. Then the wing-nut it is tightened up further, and the deepen the annular rolled-in writers or others.

back-and-forth rocking action is repeated to thus groove. The tightening of nut it and the rolling-in action is repeated as often as necessary until the rolled-in groove 2! (Figs. 1, 2 and 4) is of the desired depth, which preferably is when a groove 22 (Fig. 2) is also rolled into the inner of the telescoping overlapping parts,

By havinga marking-means of small height such as the annular marking-flange 34, an annular mark it will be formed adjacent the annular groove it, when, and only when, the workman has rolled the groove 2i to the proper depth to properly join the parts.

By the use of the rolled-in grooves ii, the fittings and tubes are securely connected together in a way readily subject to inspection from the outside of the connections by fire under- And when marking-means such as the marking-grooves 48 are also em ployed, this serves as important visual evidence that the rolling-in operation has been adequately performed.

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claim are intended to be embraced therein.

We claim:

The method of installing a fluid-transmitting tubular system, comprising: telescopically interfitting an unthreaded malleable-metal fittingmember and an unthreaded malleable-metal tube-member; then pressing inwardly by circumferential roller action an outer circumferential portion of the outer of the two said telescopicallyinterfitting members to concurrently form an outer circumferential groove and an inward circumferential projection on both of the said members to lock the same against axial separation; and then, at substantially the completion of the said inward-pressing interlocking action, pressing inwardly upon the outer surface of the outer of the two said telescopically-.interfltted members at a point displaced axially with respect to the said circumferential grooves on the said members, to form a separate gauge-mark of distinctly-difierent character from the adjacent circumferential groove on the surface of the said outer member.

JOHN S. COE. WIILIAM M. MULHOILAND. 

